Perspectives

Matthew 4:1-11 … 1) Then Jesus was led by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil. 2) After fasting forty days and forty nights, he was hungry. 3) The tempter came to him and said, “If you are the Son of God, tell these stones to become bread.” 4) Jesus answered, “It is written: Man shall not live on bread alone, but on every word that comes from the mouth of God. ” 5) Then the devil took him to the holy city and had him stand on the highest point of the temple. 6) “If you are the Son of God,” he said, “throw yourself down. For it is written: “He will command his angels concerning you, and they will lift you up in their hands, so that you will not strike your foot against a stone. ” 7) Jesus answered him, “It is also written: ‘Do not put the Lord your God to the test. ” 8)  Again, the devil took him to a very high mountain and showed him all the kingdoms of the world and their splendor. 9 “All this I will give you,” he said, “if you will bow down and worship me.” 10) Jesus said to him, “Away from me, Satan! For it is written: Worship the Lord your God, and serve him only.” 11) Then the devil left him, and angels came and attended him. (NIV)

When you and I have a vision, a mental picture or a revelation our immediate problem is how to turn that vision into fact. We might even feel driven; to find some way to turn the dream into reality. I believe this is precisely the issue which faced Jesus. He had come to lead people back to God. How was He to do it? What method was He to adopt? Was He to adopt the method of a mighty conqueror, or was He to adopt the method of patient, sacrificial love? That was the issue which faced Jesus in his temptations. The task had been committed into his hands. What method was He to choose to work out the task which God had given him to do?

The apostle Peter describes Satan as a roaring lion, prowling about for someone to devour (1 Peter 5:8). And at this particular time, that someone is Christ. But notice that the devil does not attack Jesus immediately after his baptism. He waits until the Son of God is alone, in a wilderness, weakened from more than a month of fasting. Then the stalking lion pounces. Satan’s attack on Christ however, is not like the savage and bloody ones made by lions in nature. Rather, he makes a more subtle attack, attempting to bring his prey down with three temptations; each ruthlessly designed to lure the Savior away from his Father and his mission.

It sounds so very sensible and interesting; just imagine what a breathtaking way to introduce a public ministry! The jump would be spectacular, a real crowd pleaser. One that would surely establish Jesus as the Messiah the Jews expected to suddenly come down from the sky to his temple. But Jesus is not interested in pleasing Satan or crowds with death – defying feats.

The devil was saying. “Compromise! Come to terms with me! Do not pitch your demands so high! Wink just a little at evil and questionable things … and then people will follow you in their hordes”. This was the temptation to come to terms with the world instead of uncompromisingly presenting God’s demand to it. It was the temptation to try to advance by retreating, to try to change the world by becoming like the world.

We must always remember that again and again we are tempted through our gifts. The person who is gifted with charm will be tempted to use those charms … to get away with anything. The person who is gifted with the power of words will be tempted to use his command of words to produce slick excuses to justify his own conduct. The person with a vivid and sensitive imagination will undergo agonies of temptation that a more unemotional person will never experience. The person with great gifts of the mind will be tempted to use these gifts for themselves and not for others, to become the master and not the servant of people. It is the grim fact of temptation that it is just where we are the strongest that we must be forever on watch … To God be the glory.

Would you pray this prayer with me? “Lord Jesus, come into my heart. Forgive my sins. I want my life to change. My thoughts and my attitude need to change. I don’t have peace in my heart, I really want that peace, joy and happiness that I long for. Please let the Holy Spirit help me be the kind of Christian that will bring honour to Your Name.” Amen